Strawberries and cream cupcakes (Vegan)

Makes 12 cupcakes

Strawberries and cream cupcakes (Vegan)

Pretty in pink!
These cupcakes are just delightful; a joy to make and almost too pretty to eat!
Don’t worry, I somehow managed to eat them 😀

The inspiration for these cupcakes was my birthday. Who says it has to be birthday cake? It’s my birthday and I’ll have cupcakes if I want to 😊
I was also pretty sure strawberries and cream would be a hit with my friends (of course they were!). The secret for packing in loads of flavour and for the pink colour is using freeze dried strawberries powder in the no-butter cream. A game changer.  

So if you are planning a garden party, a tea party or just want a sweet treat, give them a go.
Remember to tag @apinchofzing on Instagram if you make these beauties.  

Cupcake ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
1 cup chopped strawberries
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

No-butter cream ingredients
100g vegan spread
150g icing sugar (sifted)
2 teaspoons freeze dried strawberries powder (sifted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a cupcake baking tray with cupcake cases.
2. Heat up the soy milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the cider vinegar. Leave to curdle and move to the next step.
3. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt). Mix in the chopped strawberries.
4. Add in the wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil and vanilla extract) and gently mix together, trying not to break the fruit. Don’t overmix.
5. Place a large tablespoon of the mixture to each cupcake case and split any excess left between them.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave the cupcakes to cool down completely before decorating with no-butter cream.  
7. To make the no-butter cream, use a stand mixer to cream the vegan spread with sifted icing sugar, sifted freeze dried strawberries powder and vanilla extract. Mix until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes on high speed). Add more freeze dried strawberry powder if you like.
8. Pipe the strawberry cream on top of the cupcakes and enjoy.

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins (Vegan)

Makes 12 muffins

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins (Vegan)

Pretty in pink and delicious!
These muffins are incredibly fluffy and full of flavour, but also super easy to make.

I baked these muffins for a girls only garden party (socially distanced of course).
None of my friends are vegan, but you can’t go wrong with raspberries and white chocolate.
The pink colour is all natural, it comes from the freeze dried raspberry powder.
The freeze dried raspberry powder does not only look pretty, but also adds a lot of flavour; therefore, I strongly recommend that you use it (I bought mine online).

This combination is a real hit, but the options are endless. I made another batch with raspberries and dark chocolate chunks; a real treat with coffee.
The only downside is that once you start making these muffins you won’t be able to stop.
I must warn you, it happened to me! I sometimes make a healthier version and replace part of the plain flour with wholemeal and add some flax seeds.

I hope you enjoy these beautiful muffins 😊
I’d love to see your creations, so remember to tag @apinchofzing on Instagram if you try them.

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
1 cup raspberries
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g vegan white chocolate
1 tablespoon freeze dried raspberry powder

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a muffin baking tray with muffin liners.
2. Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the cider vinegar. Leave to curdle and move to the next step.
3. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar). Mix in the raspberries.
4. Add in the wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil and vanilla) and gently mix together, trying not to break the fruit.
5. Place a large tablespoon of the mixture to each muffin liner and split any excess left between them.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and leave to cool down completely, before moving to the next step.
7. Break the chocolate and add it to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 15 seconds intervals, mixing each time, until fully melted. Mix some of the freeze dried raspberry powder with the melted chocolate and drizzle over the muffins. Dust the muffins with the leftover freeze dried raspberry powder and enjoy the pink goodness!

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins (Vegan)

Double chocolate cupcakes (Vegan)

Makes 12 cupcakes

Double chocolate cupcakes (Vegan)

Death by chocolate. Indulgent chocolate cupcakes, dangerously quick and easy to make.
The chocolate topping is made with only two ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make. This chocolate cream is so delicious and versatile; you can add it to birthday cakes, eat it with fruit, eat it with a spoon…

The cupcakes are light and moist, which makes the chocolate overload highly enjoyable.
I felt inspired to practice my piping skills, but as you can see from the photos I need a lot more practice.
I topped the cupcakes with berries & desiccated coconut, but feel free to get creative.

I’d love to see your creations, so remember to tag @apinchofzing on Instagram if you give them a go.

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups with two tablespoons cocoa powder and the rest plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate ganache
200g vegan chocolate (70% cocoa)
200ml coconut milk (full fat from a can)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a cupcake baking tray with cupcake liners.
2. Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the cider vinegar. Leave to curdle and move to the next step.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar).
4. Add in the wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil and vanilla) and mix until combined. Avoid over mixing.
5. Place a large tablespoon of the mixture in each cupcake liner and split any excess left between them.
6. Bake for 15 minutes and leave to cool down.
7. To make the chocolate ganache use a microwave safe medium size bowl. Break the chocolate into chunks and mix it with the coconut milk. Microwave for 30 seconds intervals, mixing after each interval. It took me 3 x 30s intervals for the chocolate to melt. Leave the chocolate ganache to cool down completely and set. You can refrigerate it to speed up the process.
8. Once the chocolate ganache is set, use a stand/hand mixer to whip it for a couple of minutes. This will result in a lovely chocolate cream that you can pipe on the cupcakes. Top with your favourite fruits, nuts or sprinkles!

Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes

Makes 15 -18 mini cakes

Mini lemon bundt cake

Cute, delicate and bursting with flavour!
Lemon and poppy seed mini bundt cakes with lemon curd and berries.

Seems like all the stars aligned to make the cutest dessert ever: I had these mini bundt cake moulds for a while; I discovered that home made lemon curd is easy to make and delicious and the wild strawberries in my garden were ripe and ready.
So if you want to treat yourself or your loved ones to a special dessert, give these cutie pies a go.  I like the poppy seed and lemon combination, but sometimes I use loose lady grey tea instead.

I used silicone mini bundt cake moulds for this, but you can make these using a muffin tin or silicone muffin moulds instead. You can scoop out some of the muffin top once baked, to create a place for the lemon curd to go. I’d love to see your creations!

Ingredients

Mini bundt cakes

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
½ cup berries
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon curd

½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour
1/2 cup soy milk
¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
zest from one lemon
a pinch of turmeric for colour

Method

1. Start with the bundt cakes. Preheat the oven to 190C.
2. Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the cider vinegar. Leave to curdle and move to the next step.
3. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, lemon zest, poppy seeds). Mix in the berries.
4. Add in the wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil, vanilla and lemon extract) and gently mix together, trying not to break the fruit.
5. If using mini bundt cake moulds, pipe the batter in. Don’t fill the moulds all the way, as the batter will expand during baking.
6. Bake for 18 minutes and leave to cool down. Remove from moulds when cool.
7. While the mini bundt cakes are cooling down, make the lemon curd. Use a small pot. Mix the sugar and corn flour; this will prevent any flour lumps from forming when cooking the curd. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low heat, while constantly whisking, until the curd thickens. Should take about 5 minutes for the curd to thicken. The curd will thicken more as it cools down. Leave to cool.
8. Once both the mini bundt cakes and the lemon curd have cooled down, stat assembling the cakes. Pipe the lemon curd in the bundt cakes and decorate with berries. Enjoy with a a cup of tea or a glass of bubbly!

Mini lemon bundt cake

Vegan lemon and blueberry muffins

Makes 12 muffins

These are the fluffiest most delicious muffins!
The secret to fluffy muffins is the curdled milk, also known as buttermilk.
Very easy to make, the muffins were baked under my cat’s strict supervision. I had to move fast, as he was very keen to get involved.

The muffins are incredibly fluffy and full of flavour, but also very versatile.
I love the juicy blueberries and the hint of lemon.
What makes these muffins truly special is a teaspoon of lose Lady Grey tea; it elevates the humble muffins and gives them a delicate fragrant flavour of orange, bergamot and lemon. Another great alternative is replacing the Lady Grey tea with poppy seeds.

The options are endless, you can experiment with other fruit and toppings.
In my book, muffins covered with butter cream turn into cupcakes!

The only downside is that I can’t stop making these delicious muffins now!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do 😊

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon Lady Grey loose tea or poppy seeds (optional)
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a muffin baking tray with muffin cases.
2. Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the cider vinegar. Leave to curdle and move to the next step.
3. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, lemon zest, loose tea). Mix in the blueberries.
4. Add in the wet ingredients (curdled milk, oil, vanilla and lemon extract) and gently mix together, trying not to break the fruit.
5. Place a large tablespoon of the mixture to each muffin case and split any excess left between them.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy hot or cold. The muffins stay fresh for a few days in an air tight container.

Thanks for the recipe inspiration go to No Whey Plymouth.

Vegan blueberry muffins

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Makes 15 muffins

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Intense dark chocolate muffins, that hide a sweet caramel heart, finished off with peanut butter drizzle.

These muffins are very moist and surprisingly light in texture.
Not only do the muffins taste out of this world, but they are also guilt free!
What makes the muffins guilt free is the low sugar and fat content.  Bananas and Greek yogurt make the muffins super moist and replace the oil or butter in traditional recipes. The sweetness comes mostly from the ripe bananas and honey.

I make these muffins more often than I probably should, but I love to have them as a snack. They are so easy and quick to make; and a healthier alternative to shop bought muffins.

Muffin liner tip: I found that paper liners tend to stick to the muffins, but they are easier to remove once the muffins cool down. Silicone muffin cases don’t stick at all!

Ingredients

• 3 small ripe bananas
• ½ cup honey or sugar
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup plain four
• ½ cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 50g dark chocolate (chopped)
• ¼ cup caramel
• ¼ cup peanut butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 5. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas to a smooth paste. Add the honey, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Sift in the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix until combined, then fold in the chopped chocolate.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners, but don’t overfill them. My muffin tin only makes 12 muffins, but I found that dividing the batter between 12 muffins causes them overflow. I use 3 additional silicone muffin cases to make 15 muffins instead.
5. Spoon caramel in each muffin and try to push it just underneath the surface. Drizzle melted peanut butter.
6. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven. Remove from the oven and leave the muffins cool down before trying to remove them from the liners. Enjoy!

Thanks for the inspiration go to Sally’s Baking Addiction

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins